Yahoo Year in Review: JJ Lin, Kim Chiu and the FIFA World Cup Are Singapore�s Top Searches in 2018

SINGAPORE -�Media OutReach - 13
December 2018 – Filipino
celebrity Kim Chiu, the world’s
biggest sporting spectacle the FIFA
World Cup, the historical summit between Trump and Kim and box office smash hit Crazy Rich Asians are the top topics for Singapore this year,
according to Yahoo’s 2018 Year in Review
(YIR). The YIR is
Yahoo’s annual recap of the top search trends, events and happenings that
dominate the thoughts of Singapore’s internet users and is developed based on
users’ daily search habits and what they read, recommended and
shared most on Yahoo in 2018.

 

Sports was the
most searched query for Yahoo users this year, with six out of the top ten
about professional sports. By far the most searched item in 2018, it comes as
no surprise that the FIFA World Cup remains the biggest sporting spectacle in
the world. The month-long football extravaganza was a memorable tournament that
brought surprises and disappointments. Germany’s poor title defence was a
disappointment to many, with riveting matches like France’s swashbuckling 4-3
win over Argentina, Belgium’s fantastic comeback from 0-2 down to beat Japan
3-2, and the final, when France swept past Croatia 4-2 to claim their second
World Cup title. This year’s event in Russia also saw few violent incidents —
with images of rival fans from every part of the world coming together for
selfies and group singalongs dominating social media.

 

The English
Premier League (EPL) was the second most searched query — showing no signs of
decline even though the title race was made predictable by Manchester City as
early as January. Though some may argue that the Spanish La Liga is a better
league with top star players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the EPL
is filled with many well-supported clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, and
Arsenal — all drawing in massive global support and each move covered
extensively by the English and global media. Judging by the weekend crowds at
Singapore pubs showing live EPL telecasts, EPL’s popularity is set to continue
unabated.

 

Rounding up
the top three is ex-Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. The central figure in
both the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition’s unprecedented fall from power and
the far-reaching 1MDB financial scandal that dominated global headlines, the
former Malaysian prime minister is facing 32 charges over missing funds linked
to 1MDB, the state fund which he founded and chaired. With the 1MDB
investigations still ongoing, the fate of Malaysia’s sixth prime minister is
set to loom over the country’s political landscape in the coming year.

 

Top News That Riveted the Nation

 

2018 was
filled with major domestic and international milestones from the SingHealth
cyberattack to Malaysia’s new Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who pulled a
stunning upset and shook the political landscape of our neighbour up north.

 

The top news
for 2018 was the historic summit between
United States president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in
Singapore. Around 2,500 journalists from around the world attended the event
which also saw at least nine South Koreans involved in separate protests here,
extensive press coverage that gave many their first glimpse at Singapore, and
inspired a widely-criticised dress for Singapore’s representative at the Miss
Universe contest.

 

National Service-related matters came to the fore in 2018, from training safety issues to NS liabilities
for aspiring sportsmen and those with dual citizenship. Two full-time National
Servicemen, Dave Lee and Liu Kai, died following training incidents while
aspiring footballer Ben Davis and Thai national Ekawit Tangtrakarn sparked
debate about NS obligations and calls for the Ministry of Defence to make its
policy on such matters clearer.

 

One of the
most highly anticipated court hearings in years began in October when three
senior Workers’ Party (WP) MPs and other defendants faced off against the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) and
the Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council (PRPTC). Former WP leader Low Thia
Khiang, current chairman Sylvia Lim and chief Pritam Singh have been accused in
the lawsuits initiated by AHTC and PRPTC of breaching their fiduciary duties
and making improper payments to their then managing agent between 15 July 2011
and 14 July 2015. The verdict of the hearing is expected to be known next year.

 

Due to the
mounting legal costs from the lawsuits, the three MPs made a public appeal for
financial help in late October. Within just three days of their appeal, the MPs
managed to raise more than $1 million and thanked “the incredible outpouring of
support from the public”.

 

Celebrities, Entertainment and News

Reigning supreme in entertainment, Crazy Rich Asians
was the top box office hit for Singapore. The first Hollywood box office hit to
feature a predominantly Asian cast was extremely well received, leading the
pack of blockbusters which also includes Avengers:
Infinity War and Black Panther
among the top ten.

 

Filipino
film star Kim Chiu is the most
searched female celebrity in Singapore and perhaps the most successful winner
from the Philippines reality show, Pinoy Big Brother. Clinching the title at
the age of 16 — the youngest winner thus far — Kim has also started in several
popular dramas and movies. She trended in February this year following a fall
while doing a dance number on ASAP. Though
the fall looked serious — Kim continued the number as planned.

 

She is
joined in the top by homegrown Mando pop star JJ Lin who is Yahoo’s most searched male celebrity in 2018. Selling
out all four nights of his concert in August — scalpers were reselling tickets
up to 10 times the original price — showing how lasting the singer-songwriter’s
charm is in his native Singapore.

 

Top News / Politics	Top Search Queries	Top Movies/TV Shows
Trump – Kim Summit in Singapore	FIFA World Cup	Crazy Rich Asians
National Service Issues	English Premier League	Avengers: Infinity War
Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) Trial	Najib Razak	Black Panther

 

Top Celebrities
(Singapore)

Female		Male
Kim Chiu		JJ Lin
Meghan Markle		Justin Bieber
Kate Middleton		Andy Lau

 

For the full list of top ten searches and topics,
please visit Yahoo Year in Review 2018.

 

About the Yahoo Singapore 2018 Year in Review Methodology

To develop
the Yahoo Year in Review, our team analyze user’s interest patterns based on
what they searched for, read, recommended and shared. It takes into account a
number of factors including absolute volume and growth from previous periods to
see which themes and trends bubble to the surface. Individuals and their
preferences remain anonymous.

Disclaimer:* Please
note the results are not necessarily a representation of a popularity contest
or voting.

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